Felt-cleaning machine



Feb. 14, 1928.

1,659,010 F. w. VICKERY FELT CLEANING MACHINE Filed Oct. 22. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet l TOY/67713071 Feb. 14, 1928.

F. W. VICKERY FELT CLEANING MACHINE Filed Oct. 22. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 O ---ii---mwi::-:-i Q I 1 m mm Q g "mm m \m/ w I67: 6 NW h. Q [Q Q I Q \Mfi Feb. 14, 1928. 1,659,010 F. w. VIICKERY FELT CLEANING MACHINE,

Filed Oqt. 22. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Feb. 14, 1928. 1,659,010

F. W. VICKERY FELT CLEANING MACHINE Filed Oct. 22. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 jets under pressure,

Patented Feb. 14, 1928.

applicationfil ed octobergz, 192$,"Se1'ialilo. 143,492, and

This invention relates to an improvedv process for making machines and to mechanisms for carrying the said process into practical operation.

The invention is partlcularly adapted to 4 be used in connection with the cleaning of felt belts for paper" making machines, as for example, cylinder machines, in which the stock is picked up by the feltin a very wet condition,.-Iand the felt needs to be thoroughly cleaned or washed to remove from it theshort fibers, coloring and loading matter which adhere to it during the process of removing fluid from the paper stock.

In cleaning feltbelts o the character set forth a very abundant washing is needed in order to satisfactorily clean the felt, and the principal object of this invention is to effect the desired results with a minimum water consumption and pumping power.

The process whereby this object is attained consists in forcing cleaning. fluid against one or both faces of the felt which is being cleaned, confining the fluid to a restricted area of the felt and holding it pressed against the surface of the felt which is being cleaned. Preferably; the fluid thus forced against the felt is moved in a direction opposite to thatin which the felt is moving. The fluid. is preferably forced against and along the felt by a plurality of the ends of the nozzles which supply the jets being preferably positioned so as to direct the fluid at an anle' against the felt in the opposite direction to which the felt is travelling and at a sufficient distance from the-surface of the felt so that the. vena contracta of each of the jets shall be at the face of the felt. A quantity of cleaning .fluid under pressure travelling in the opposite direction to that or surfaces of a moving felt belt ,a

of the travel of the felt is thus obtained constituting a current or currents of fluid under pressure, so directed and confined as to exert pressure upon and along'the surface r d subjecting the same to a pressure scrubbing 0perat-ion by reason of the relative movement of the felt=and flu d. The current of fluid may carry with it bubbles of air,- causinga somewhat aerated condition.

rnnnnnicx w. vIcKEnY, OF'LONDONQENGLAND, AssIeNQ f Q VICkEIiYiuIMfl-Efi cleaning the felt belts'of paper the matte i n I The term'flu id f i usedtli ugh" specification andcl" *a'g include liquid","g"as apes-as the"- su'ction includes any'me n sf'of air pressur'ejjjonth b i As an addition y nfilf d d along in 'conta'ct""vvit p e N a i The jets-era aforesaid, deliver p which materially "cont ribu Eli impact as) forcef t POSltlODGd as. 'afores 1 tracta of the ets atth'ei? which is pressedinto contaf I dersurface of the felt and is preferably hfel thereagainst with a 'pressure, I

said plate being'provided withfridges asopposite edges extending longitudinal (if-I the plates andioff the feltanistillb ab1e to flow out atlt PP S tQQ "10f he pl te to w h is delive d t an appi' I h op tio Qtji mess fluid moving under pressure 'al on the s face of the felt isobtairiedgeachc of wi be b ough ;in qff""n w a a great many r lim t .oithe c ir f the felt nd the aura warts r new d; as"? itflows. along the felt, by; other units ,pfi fluid, under pressure} whic lijifr'u'pinging upon the working surface 'of the feltywill dislodge mechanically,particles fadhering thereto. It will thus :be seen th at this por-if tion of the felt cleaning processjha' lead; vantage of utiIz ing'thasame jfluid verfaj considerable number of 'nnitsjof area; fe -f} quiring, therefore, comparatively only a small amount of pumping power and of cleaning fluid, while effecting a 'very complete cleansing of the surface of the felt which is being operated upon.

It will be understood that as the felt is being cleaned, ina manner hereinbefore set forth, the surface of the felt with the for-- is the most difficult to clean,the'back or opposite face of the felt belt may also be cleaned by means of jets of cleaning fluidso positioned as to discharge the cleaningfluid against the upper surface of the felt at an acute angle thereto.

After the .surface of the felt has been cleaned as hereinbefore set forth, the process contemplates subjecting the felt to suetion, causing the same to be deflected or curved downwardly and jets of fluid under pressure are preferably directed against the portion of the felt which is convexly curved and which is being simultaneously subjected to suction, the vena contracta of each jet being at the surface of the felt. This portion of the operation is preferably performed by utilizing a suction box, open at the top, over which the felt travels and into which it is drawn downwardly to a certain extent by the suction in the box. causing the felt to thus assume a downwardly curved-or sagging portion. At the bottom of this sagging portion means are supplied for wip-- ing the surface of the felt in order to remove any moisture or particles which the suction upon the felt has not accomplished. There is thus created a suction upon the convexly curved felt as the latter travels along over the suction box, simultaneously the jets play against this convexly curved portion of the felt, and subsequent to the operation of the jets upon the surface of the felt the wiping operation takes place. The means for performing the wiping operation just lightly touches the lowermost part of the convexly curved portion. of the felt belt.

It will be understood that by thus bending the felt belt while being subjected to suction and causing jets of fluid to be directed against it under pressure, the foreign matter which may remain upon the surface of the belt is removed, and the suction and wiping the working face of said belt facing down process subsequently remove any moisture from the felt belt, thus completing the cleaning operation.

In the following specification three forms of apparatus are disclosed for supplying fluid under pressure to the surface of the belt and holding itagainst the surface of the belt under pressure and in a restricted area, while the belt travels along in contact with the fluid thus supplied, and preferably in the opposite direction to that in which the fluid is moving.

The preferred form of apparatus for carrying into practical operation my improved felt cleaning process will now be specifically described, but it is to be understood that any mechanical equivalent of the apparatus hereinafter set forth is to be included within the scope of this invention as set forth in the appended claims.

The invention consists in animproved process for cleaning felt belts and in an improved mechanism for carrying said process into practical operation, as set forth in this specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 represents'a plan view of a felt cleaning machine embodying my invention, portions thereof being broken away to save space in the drawin s' and to more clearly illustrate portions ot erwise obscured.

Fig. 2 isan enlarged vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the mecha-- nism for locally tensioning the felt and of the. mechanism for limiting the lateral spread of the cleaning fluid over the surface of said felt.

Fig. 4 is a detail transverse section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3, illustrating the positions of the air nozzles with relation to the felt and to the tensioning plate.

Fig. 5 is a detail section of the fluid guiding plate taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of a modifled form of cleaning apparatus. ,1

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation of another modified form of cleaning apparatus taken on line 7-7', Fig. 8. i j

Fig. 8 is a plan of the form of cleaner illustrated in Fig. 7. V

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, A represents a felt belt of a paper makingmachine, said belt travelling in the direction of the arrow at, Fig. 2,

ward.

Mounted upon a base 5, which is located beneath the felt A is a carrier 6, constructed in the form of an angle bar and mounted to reciprocate transversely of the direction of feed of the felt A upon a plurality of rollers 7, the latter being rigidly fastened to shafts 8 mounted to rotate'inbearings 9 provided upon the base .5.

, A reciprocatory movement is imparted to the carrier 6 by a screw 10 which has screwthreaded engagementwith a nut 11 fastened to the underside of the carrier 6. The screw 10 is rotated in opposite directions by means of a reversible drivingmechanism 12 located within-La casing 13. Any suitable form of reversible driving mechanismmay be employedfand said i'nechanisin needs no detailed description. Briefly, however, the mechanism 12 illustrated comprises a driving pulley 14 fast to a shaft 15, and the latter has a sliding clutch member 16 splined thereto and located within the casing 13. The

clutch member 16 is provided with sets of clutch teeth 17 and 18 at opposite ends thereof and adapted to engage clutch teeth 19 and 20 provided upon bevel gears 21 and 22 respectively. The gears 21. and 22 are mounted to rotate loosely upon the shaft 15, and said gears each mesh with a bevel gear mounted on a vertical shaft 24, and the former has a worm 25 fast thereto which engages a worm gear 26 fast to the shaft 10.

The clutch member 16 is moved longitudinally upon the shaft 15 in order that it may be engaged with and disengaged from the gears 21 and 22 by a rock shaft 27 which is operatively connected thereto. A rocking motion is imparted to the shaft 27 by an adjustable connecting rod 28, one end of which is operatively connected to said rock shaft, while the other end of said connecting rod is operatively connected to a bell crank lever 2t), pivoted at 30 to a bracket 31 fast to the casing 13. The lever 29 is rocked by a bar which is rigidly fastened to the carrier 6. Tappets 33 and 34 are fastened to the bar 32, and said tappets are adapted to engage I the opposite sides of an arm of the lever 29, thereby reversing the movement of said lever and the parts connecting the same to the rock shaft 27, and this reversal of movement will cause the clutch member 16 to be operated to reverse the direction of rotation of the shaft 10.

The felt A, whilebeing subjected to a portion of the cleaning instrumentalities, is sup ported upon a plurality of plates 35, each of which is mounted upon a balanced lever 36 pivoted at 37 on brackets 38, and said plates are yieldingly held against the undersurface of said felt by a weight 39 which is-adjustably mounted upon the 35 are pivotally mounted at 40 upon the ends of the levers 36 in a manner which will allow them to rock in any direction as the felt passes thereover. Any desired number of the plates 35 may be employed, the same constituting a series extending transversely beneath the felt and the plates being equally spaced apart.

The plates 35 are provided upon their oplever The plates surface of thefelt beltrests, and between the ridges 35 and beneath' the felt belt28 is thus formed a chamber 68 throughwhich. the fluid is forced underpressure while contacting with the undersurface of the felt belt.

Also mounted'upon'the carrier (5 is a=discharge pipe 41 for-a washing fluid,1such as water, and said pipe-extends longitudinally of said carrier6 and transversely of the'felt A, being secured to the carrier 6 by a clamp 42. A plurality of nozzles 43 areformed upon the pipe'4land saidpipe 'andnozzles are positioned to discharge the washing fluid in jets 44 at a slant against the undersurface of the felt, the fluid striking the felt in an angular space, where a curved edge of said plate meets the undersurface of the felt. The jet of fluid 44, in striking the underface of the felt, delivers a blow of sufficient force to discharge from said underface all except the most diflicult matter to be removed therepossible,

oontraeta of the jet is at the face of the felt. The plates 35, by yieldingly engaging the undersurface of the felt, tension the latter at the points where the jets of fluid 44 impinge thereagainst and said fluid is also guided along the unders'urface of the felt between the said plates and felt in the chamber (58 and acts to dislodge the matter clinging thereto. The fluid is discharged at the opposite end of the chamber 68 from that at which the nozzles are positioned. The discharge pipe 41 is connected by a hose 45 with any suitable source of fluid supply.

Located above the felt A is a series of nozzles 46, which are positioned to discharge cleaning fluid at an angle against the upper surface or back of said felt, jets 47 of said fluid from said nozzle impinging upon said felt at a point nearly opposite that engaged by the under jets 44.

The effect of a cleaning fluid on the upper face or back of the felt may be increased by intermittently varying the resistance to its passage by means of a corrugated roller 48 located above and adjacent to'the felt A and approximately opposite the point at which the jets 44 impinge, the roller 48 being positioned relatively to the upper surface of the felt so as to slightly deflect the felt downwardly, The roller 48 has friction driving discs 49 located at each end thereof, which contact with the upper surface of the felt in a manner to rotate said roller with a peripheral speed equal to that of the speed of the felt. As the roller 48 rotates, the corrugated portions thereof intermittently in-,

The effectiveness of the lower jets of fluid 44 are increased by means of a corrugated roller 50 which is positioned in the path of face of the felt without interruption, but

the flow of fluid along the upper surface of the felt from said jets is interrupted by the corrugated roller 48 In order to increase the cleaning action of the fluid for certain classes of work, a jet of steam is preferably employed associated with the plates 35, said steam issuing from the upper surface of said plates through discharge outlets 51 and heating the fluid at that point. Steam is conducted to the plates 35 through a flexible hose 52 from which said steam passes through a passage 53 provided in the plates to the discharge outlets 51.

As an aid in holding the felt against the upper surface of the plates 35 and also in confining the washing fluid to a certain area upon the upper surface of the felt, two rows of air nozzles 54 are provided extending longitudinally of the felt and approximately opposite the longitudinal edges of the plates 35, the air from said nozzles being directeditlan angle against the upper surface of said The other rows of air nozzles 55 are also provided'and directed at an incline toward the side edges of the plates 35 beneath the felt, the jets of air pressure assisting in confining the fluid laterally between the upper surface of the support and the undersurface of the felt, and within the chamber 68 while assisting in forcing the current of fluid in the chamber toward the outfall or overflow thereof.

After being subjected to the cleaning instrumentalities hereinbeforementioned, the felt A is led across the top of a stationary suction box 56 which extends across the entire width of the felt. Inserted in grooves '57 provided in the upper edges of the side 'walls of the suction box, are glass rods 58 over which the felt A slides with a minimum amount of friction. Another glass rod 59 extends lengthwise of the suction box 56 and is positioned at a lower level than are the rods 58. The rod 59 allows the felt A to sag somewhat into the suction box, and is preferably supported by springs 85 upon brackets 59 adjustably fastened to one side of thesuction box 56, so that the rod 59 can be raised and lowered, as may be desired, or the rod may be spring supported and thus self adjusting. In practice, therod is thus positioned so as to slightlytouch the lowermost convex portion of the belt as it passes over the suction box. The function performed by the rod 59 is that of-wiping any moisture off the undersurface of the felt which is not removed by the suction. A pipe 60 connects a suction chamber 61 with any suitable mechanism for creating suction within said chamber.

Extendinglongitudinally through the suction box 56 is a discharge pipe 62 for washing fluid, and saidpipe is provided with a plurality of nozzles 63 which are positioned to discharge said washing fluid in jets 64 against that undersurface of the felt A which is being subjected to the influence of the suction action. The pipe 62' extends through glands 65 in the end walls of the suction box and is fastened to a bracket 66 mounted upon the carrier 6, andthe latter imparts a reciprocating movement to the pipe 62 Within the suction box, causing the jets of washing fluid 64 to thoroughly wash the undersurface of the felt. The pipe 62 is connected by a flexible hose 67 to the source of fluid supply.

The general operation of the mechanism hereinbefore specifically described is as follows :The felt A travelling in the direction of the arrow at, Fig. 2, is supported upon the plates 35, which are held in ylelding engagement with the undersurface of sai felt. As the felt passes over the plates 35, the fluid in the chamber 68 is heated by steam, which is emitted from discharge ports 51 provided in said plates. Jets of fluid 44 and 47 are directed against the under and upper surfaces respectively of the felt at an acute angle thereto, and the fluid from the under jets 44 is forced between the undersurface of the felt and the upper surface of the plates35 in the chamber 68, and the latter acts to guide said fluid between said The effect of the jets of fluid 44 and 47 is also increased by intermittently'varying the resistance of its passage to or along the felt by means of the corrugated rollers 50 and 48, and the jets of fluid in striking the felt cause the same to vibrate and shake off the foreign particles.

The plates 35 not only support the felt but also tension the latter at the location lyvlliere the jets of fluid impinge against the Jets of air from the nozzles 54 and 55, above and below the felt, tend to limit the lateral spread of the cleaning fluid over the upper and under surfaces of the felt and hold'the felt against the action of the fluid.

After passing from the influence of the suction box 56, where the undersurface' of" surface, and as said feltpasses across the top ofsaid suction boX,it" is again engaged byv a series of jets of fluid which supplement the suction action-in removi ng the foreign matter; The action of fluid-operating in a partial yacuu'm fis-Very "effective in removing l, area 1 of the passages 82, so,.;;thait, a less degree;

foreign matter not possible' with other means, the suction: holding the feltag'ainst-- the tension exerted by the fluidl In'FigDGVa mod r of my invenfipn ain't-lemma i-n which 69 i a P P which the felt- A isheld down by suction supplied 'th-roughfga}; suction pipe 70 and within whichftihe, cleaning fluid is vigorously circulated '1 byameans of nozzles 71 and 72 positioned at an acute angle to the undersurface" of the feltf'A andsupplied with cleaning'fluid under pressure through 'a pipe 73, softhat thecleamng fluid isejected in afd-irecti'onopposite to-the travel of the felt A, said felt travelling :in the direction of the arrow (1. The nozzles 71 and 72 are positioned 'ata short; distance below the felt, so that the vena contracta :of the jets will beat the lower'surface of the felt'and will impinge thereon with maximum force.

It will be seen that the stream of fluid fromthe nozzle 71 impinges on the felt and travels along its surface and tends to support the fluid from the nozzle 72 keeping it in contact with the lower surface of -the elt A for 'a greater distance than would otherwise be the'case. i

The'travel'of the fluid is limited byothe end of the chamber'69, where it turns downwardly' and flows away to the pipe 70. In this construction the whole of the interior of the chamber'69 iskept under suction, the pipe'70 being connected to a suitable suction pump. This suction holds the felt down upon the upper edges of the chamber 69, so that fluid cannot escapebeyond the upper edges of-the 'chamberw The action of the fluid istherefore confined to a small portion of the width'of the felt'belt, just so much as it can efliciently wash. The suction also removes-the cleaning fluid with the waste matter which has been detached from the felt before itfpasscs' from-the chamber.

InFig'.= 7 ;anoth r1,modified form of my. p x v fluid a'longa surface of vsaid felt'an'd means for maintainingitin contacttherewith:

invention is illustrated-"gin which there are two "chambers-74 and I7 5. The chamber '74 removed 'fromthe chamber '7 4 by a "pipe 741". The chamber 75 hasia single nozzle 80 positionedtherein', which also inclined to the surf-ace of the belt A andfcleaning fluid is supplied to the nozzle 80 through a pipe 7 9. The chamber is not-fitself -under suction,

but it is surrounded or nearlyg surrounded by a vchannel 8=1pformed inrthevwall ofthe v chamber 74, which is connected through narrow passages f82l with the chamber The-.chamber7 5. is joined bymeans of a 13-1118.

f 83. to a. suction pump,-pnot shown in the drawing, bywhic-h 'a' fair degree. ofjvacuumds ,maintained in} the cl1amberi75, say three ,.to :,q five inches as measured by a mercury 'gauge Means; 84 are providedv for adj usting the suction pump, but only fzeby ria'i circulating .1. pump, notishown in therjdlawlngsfiby' which it is ;forWardeid1thrQug-h-., the system,; ;andu through the pipes 78fi andi74': It will be seenthat theflj ,ts ;fr ,mJthegnozzles 7 6, 77 and 78 assist'intholdingrtheflui 1;; which has been. directed against the; ,=under;-1 surface of the felt belt-FA, againstflsaid un dersurface in the same manneiuasrzthe-jet;;. 71 acts with relation to the;fluid..supplied by; the jet 72 in :thefonm offlmy nvention illus trated in Fig. 6. :j-. 09-1 The embodiments of my nvention illus-i trated in Figs. [6 and:- thus}illustrate1ameans for directing cleaning 1 fluid against/ the surface of the felt and. means forf urginggi the fluid alongthe} -.felt--;and; -;pressing' fit; against the undersurfajce of: thefelt, ,;Thus to a certain extent the "jet,71;:in Fig. ,6: ands: the jets 76, 77 and 78, Fig. 7, perform the f. function of the plates, 35in that fembodiszl ment of my invention illustratedin Figs. 1111' to 5 inclusive; Y l1 I i I claim: 1. That step inrthev-proce'ssof cleaning; a tensioned moving {felt belt which consists-e. in simultaneously subjecting a givenuarea of the same surface of the felt to suction-- and 'to impact from; a} jet foffflu id "in the suction zone. "hi 2. A machine forcleaning affeltpbelt enibodying therein means gt'oi direct 5a j'etilo'fn cleaning fluid along the surfaoe o-f said; felt and means to confine the fluidso directedw Evithin a predetermined. portion -I of: said stir-.1 1 ace, i-uafl .I ,H 'iii ":Lo ,1 3. A machine for cleaning a. felt beltembodying therein =-means tO JdiIectncIeaniHg 4. A rnachiner-for cleaningawfelt belt coinprising, ;inrcombination,u means to: support said felt, and means to direct: a, jet .of'. clean- I ing fluid along the surface of said felt:.be-- 3 tween said supportrand 'rsaid felt.

5; AYmachinezfor cleaning a felt belt com-1: prising, in combination, means to 'direct, 1a 7 jetoffcleaning; fl-uidalongthe surface ofyl said' feltmeansyto maintainsaid fluid in ,1

nally thereof, open at the top and opposite ends to allow a body of cleaning fluid to be directed along said chamber in contact with a surface of said felt.

8. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, a plate with oppositely disposed ridges extending longitudinally thereof and spaced apart to form a chamber in its upper surface, saidplate being supported in contact with a face of said felt to allow a body'of cleaning fluid to be directed along said chamber in contact with said'felt..

9. A machine for clea mg a felt belt comprising, in combination jimeans to support said felt, means to direc a jet of cleaning fluid along the surface of said felt between said support and said felt, and means to intermittently interrupt the direct passage of said jet of cleaning fluid to said felt,

10. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, means to support said felt, means to direct a jet of cleaning fluid against the surface of said felt, and means to intermittentl interruptthe direct passage of said fluid a on said felt.

11. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, means to support said felt, means to direct a jet of, cleaning fluid along the surface of said felt between said support and said felt, and meansito limit the lateral spread of said cleaning fluid over the surface of said felt.

12. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, means to support said felt, means to direct a jet of cleaning fluid along the surface of said felt between said support and said felt, and suction cleaning means also acting upon the surface of said felt.

13. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, a reciprocating carrier, means upon said carrier to support said felt, and means also located upon said carrier to direct a jet of cleaning fluid along the surface of said felt between said support and said fe'lt.

'14. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, a reciprocating carrier, means upon said carrier to support said felt, means also located upon said carrier to direct a jet of cleaning fluid along the surface of said felt between said support and said felt, means associated with said sugpport to direct steam into said fluid, and su tion cleaning meansalso acting upon the surface of said felt.

15. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, a plate yieldingly contacting with a surface of said felt, me-

- said plate upon, said felt, means to direct. -a jet of cleaning fluid along the surface of said-felt between said surface and said plate, and means to limit the lateral spread of said cleaning fluid over the surface of said'felt.

17 A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, a plate yieldingly contacting with a surfaceof'said felt, means to varythe pressure of said plate upon said felt, means to direct a jet of cleaning fluid along the surface of said felt between said surface and said-plate, and means 7 to intermittently interrupt the direct passage of said jet of cleaning fluid to said felt.-

18. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, a plate. yieldingly contacting with a surface of said felt, mechanical means to vary the'pressure of said plate upon said felt, means to direct a jet of cleaning fluid along the surface of said felt between said surface and said plate, means to limit the lateral spread of said cleaning fluid over the surface of said felt, and suction means for cleaning the surface of said felt.

19. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, incombination,'a plate supported in contact with the undersurface of said felt, means to direct a jet of cleaning fluid along the undersurface of said felt between said surface and said plate, and means to direct another jet of cleaning fluid against the upper surface of said felt and at an angle theret0.

20. A machine for cleaning a felt .belt comprising, in combination, a-plate Supported in contact with the undersurface of said felt, me. "s to direct a jet of cleaning fluid along the undersurfac-e of said felt between said surface and said plate, means to intermittently interrupt the direct .passage of said jet of cleaning fluid to'saidfelt, means to direct another jet of cleaning fluid against the upper surface of said felt at an angle thereto, and means to intermittently interrupt the passage of the'fluid from said lastnamed jet along said felt.

21. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, a reciprocatory direct a plurality of jets of said fluid against said felt, and means to tension said felt at each of the locations where said jets of clean.- ing fluid impinge thereagainst.

22. A machine for cleaning felt comprising, in combination, means to support a felt belt, means to direct a jet of cleaning fluid along the surface of said felt between said support and said felt, and means to discharge a plurality of air jets extending longitudinally of said felt upon opposite sides of said support at an angle to said felt, thereby limiting the lateral spread of said cleaning fluid over the surfaceof said felt.

23. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, a plate supported in contact with the undersurface of said felt, means to direct a jet of cleaning fluid along the undersurface of said felt between said undersurface and said plate, means to intermittently interrupt the direct passage of said jet of cleaning fluid to said felt, mean to direct another jet of cleaning fluid against the upper surface of said felt at an angle thereto, and means to intermittently interrupt the passage of fluid from said last-named jet along said felt, and means to discharge a plurality of air jets located above and below said felt and positioned longitudinally thereof at an angle to said felt.

2 A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, means to support said felt, means to direct a jet of cleaning fluid along the surface of said felt between said support and said felt, and a cor rugated roller extending transversely of said felt and positioned in the path of the jet of cleaning fluid to intermittently intercept the direct passage of said fluid to said felt.

25. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, a carrier, means to impart a reciprocatory movement thereto, a conductor for a cleaning fluid mounted upon said carrier and adapted to discharge a plurality of jets of fluid against said felt, means to tension said felt at each of the locations where said jets of cleaning fluid impinge thereagainst, and suction means also acting upon a surface of said felt.

26. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, a carrier, means to impart a reciprocatory movement thereto, aconductor for a cleaning fluid mounted upon said carrier and adapted to discharge a plurality of jets of said fluid against said felt, means to tension said felt at each of the locations where said jets of cleaning fluid impinge thereagainst, suction means also 'acting upon a surface of said felt, and means to discharge cleaning fluid against the surface of said felt acted upon by said suction means.

27. A. machine for,cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, :a carrier, means to impart a reciprocatory movement thereto, a conductor forja cleaning'fluid mounted upon said carrier and adapted to, discharge a plurality of'jets ofsaid fluid against said felt, means to tensionisaid'feltj at each" of the locations where said jets of cleaning fluid impinge thereagainst, a'isuction box over which said felt is fed, and 'a'conductor for cleaning fluid within said box and discharging cleanin-g fluid'ag ainst said felt as it passes across the top of said box. 28. A machine for cleaning a .felt belt comprising, in combination, a carrier, means to impart a reciprocatory movement thereto, a conductor for a cleaning fluid mounted upon saidcarrier and adapted to discharge a plurality of jets of said fluid against said felt, means to intermittently interrupt the direct passage of said jets of cleaning fluid to said felt, means to tension said felt at each of the locationswhere said jets of clean- .a plurality of jets of said fluid against said felt, means to intermittently interrupt the passage of the fluid from said jets along said felt, means to tension said felt at each of the locations where said jets of cleaning fluid impinge thereagainst, suction means also acting upon a surface of said felt, and means to discharge cleaning fluid against the surface of said felt acted upon by said suction means.

30. A machine for cleaning a felt belt comprising, in combination, a carrier, means to impart a reciprocatory movement thereto, a conductor for a cleaning fluid mounted upon said carrier and adapted to discharge a plurality of jets of said fluid against said felt, means to intermittently interrupt the passage of fluid from said jets along said felt, means to limit the lateral spread of said cleaning fluid over the surface of said felt, means to tension said felt at each of the locations where said jets of cleaning fluid impinge thereagainst, suction means also acting upon a surface of said felt, and means to discharge cleaning fluid against the surface of said felt acted upon by said suction means.

31. A machine for cleaning a. felt belt comprising, in "combination, a carrier. means to impart a reciprocatory movement thereto, a conductor for acleaning fluid mounted upon said carrier and adapted to discharge a plurality of jets of said fluid against said felt, means to intermittently in-. terrupt the passage of fluid from said jets along said felt, means to limit the lateral spreadof said cleaning fluid over the surface of said felt,- means to tension said felt at each of the locations. where said jets of cleaning fluid impinge thereagainst, suction means also acting upon a surface of said felt, andfmeans to discharge cleaning fluid against the surface of said felt acted upon by said suction means.

32. A machine for cleaning a felt belt embodying therein means to direct an intermittently interrupted travelling jet of cleaning fluid against said felt. I

33. A machine for cleaning a felt belt embodying therein means to direct a travelling jet of fluid against said felt, and means to intermittently interrupt the flow of said fluid along the surface of said felt. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FREDERICK W. VICKERY. 

